Curtain-fixture.



No. 804,317. PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905.

0. L. HOPKINS. CURTAIN FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1904 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. HOPKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CUR- TAINSUPPLY COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Fixtures, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in curtain-fixtures of that generaltype wherein a spring-actuated curtain or shade is provided at its lowerend with a curtain-stick carrying spring-pressed heads or shoes adaptedto frictionally engage the sides of the casing or grooves therein tohold the curtain at any adjusted position against the pull of thecurtainroller.

My invention has for its principal object the production of an improvedand simplified fixture wherein the roller or rollers carried by theheads may be made to perform the double function of friction devices tohold the curtain when the curtain-stick is in normal or horizontalposition and of antifriction devices to permit the automaticself-righting of the curtain when the curtain-stick is canted. With thisobject in view the invention employs as its chief distinguishingcharacteristic and in association with the head and one or more rollerscarried thereby a brake member which is pivoted between its ends in oron the head and on one side of the pivot and is adapted to frictionallyengage a roller and on the other side of its pivot projects into contactwith the surface of the casing engaged by the head and under theresistance of the casing opposed to the thrust of the curtain-stickspring applies the brake to the roller when the fixture is normal orhorizontal, while releasing the roller and permitting it to act as anantifriction device for self-righting purposes when the fixture iscanted.

My invention in its preferred form is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a portion of acurtain carrying one end of the fixture, the latter being shown partlyin vertical section and in the normal or horizontal position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same parts, but

showing the fixture in an inclined or canted fragment of the lowerportion of a window or other curtain in and transversely of which ismounted the usual hollow curtain-stick 6, the latter carrying in eachend the shank 7 of a hollow head 8, normally pressed outwardly by thecurtain-stick spring 9. In the opposite ends of the head are rotatablymounted rollers 10, between which are mounted on pivot-pins 11 a pair ofduplicate inverselydisposed brake members 12. These brake members maytake a variety of forms within the purview of the invention; but theyare herein shown as levers consisting each of a reversely-curved barpivotally mounted at a point somewhat outwardly of its longitudinalcenter and having on its outer end a brakesurface 11, located adjacentto and in rear of the roller 10, while its forward or front faceinwardly of the pivot 11 is rounded or convexed to have a bearing, as at11", against the surface of the casing on the bottom wall of a groovetherein, (conventionally indicated by the. line 13.)

In operation when the fixture is in its horizontal or normal positionthe outward thrust of the curtain-stick spring, acting through the head,forces the convex faces 11 of the brake members into contact with thecasing, and the resistance of the latter thus acting upon the longerarms of the levers in the opposite direction throws the short outer armsof the levers into braking or retarding engagement with the wheels 10,which latter are thus made to frictionally engage by their peripheriesthe wall or surface 12 of the casing, thus holding the fixture againstupward movement in opposition to the pull of the curtainroller spring.This frictional engagement of the braked rollers with the wall of thecasing may be augmented by the friction effect produced by theengagement of the levers with said wall, or where the frictional holdingeffect of the braked rollers is ample the wallengaging surfaces of thelevers may be made hard and smooth, so as to have little or nofrictional holding effect upon the wall, it being understood that thechief function of the brake-levers is to brake or'retard the rollerswhen the fixture is horizontal in the manner already described, althoughtheir wall-contacting surfaces may be roughened or otherwisefrictionized to create an auxiliary holding effect when necessary ordesirable. When now the curtain-stick becomes inclined or canted, asshown in Fig. 2, the resistance effect offered by the casing to thecurtain-stick spring through the brake-levers 12 is intermitted orrelieved, whereupon the brake-levers mayswing by gravity into positionssuch as to retract their braking surfaces from the rollers, or at leastrelieve the pressure upon the latter, thus permitting said rollers torotate freely and converting them from friction devices intoantifriction devices instantly responsive to the pull of thecurtain-roller spring to effect the self-righting of the fixture,whereupon they are instantly reconverted into friction devices to holdthe fixture in the position assumed by it at the end of theself-righting operation.

It is evident that numerous changes and modifications of the particularstructure herein shown and described might be made by those skilled inthe art withoutdeparting from the spirit or principle of the invention,and henceIdo not limit the latter to the construction and arrangementshown and described except to the extent indicated in specific claims.

I claim 1. In acurtain-fixture, the combination with a curtain-stick, ofaspring-pressed head movably mounted in said stick, a roller in saidhead adapted to act as an antifriction member when the stick is canted,and a brake member pivoted between its endsin said head and renderedoperative to engage the roller by contact with the casing when thefixture is in a normal or horizontal position.

2. In acurtainfixture,the combination with a curtain-stick and a headmounted on the end thereof, of a roller mounted in said head,,and apivoted brake member also carried by said head, said brake member havingone end normally projecting into contact with the surface of the casingand on its other end carrying a brake-surface adapted to engage saidroller. under the resistance of the casing opposed to the thrust of thecurtain-stick spring when the fixture is in normal or horizontalposition.

3. In acnrtain-fixture,the combination with a curtain-stick and a headmounted on the end thereof, of a roller mounted in said head, and abrake-lever also pivoted between its ends in said head, said brake-leverhaving one end normally projecting into contact with the surface of thecasing and its other end adapted to engage said roller when the fixtureis in normal or horizontal position.

4. In a curtain-fixture,the combination with a curtain-stick and a headmounted on the end thereof, of a roller mounted in said head, and abrake-lever also pivoted in said head, said brake-lever having one endprojecting into contact with the surface of the casing and its other endoperatively engaging said roller under the thrust of the curtain-stickspring acting to press the opposite end of the brake-lever against thecasing'when the fixture is horizontal, and having its braking effectwholly or partially relieved when the fixture is canted.

5. In a curtain-fixture, the combination with a curtain-stick and a headmounted on the end thereof, of a pair of rollers mounted in the head onopposite sides of the longitudinal center of the latter, respectively,and a pair of inversely-disposed pivoted brake-levers carried by saidhead between said rollers, the adjacent inner ends of said brake-leversprojecting into contact with the casing and their opposite ends carryingbrake-shoes adapted to be forced into engagement with their respectiverollers under the thrust of the curtainstick spring acting to press theinner ends of said levers against the casing.

6. In acurtain-fixture, the combination with a curtain-stick and a headmounted on the end thereof, of a pair of rollers mounted in the oppositeends of the head, respectively, and a pair of inversely-disposedbrake-levers pivoted in said head between said rollers, the adjacentinner endsof said brake-levers projecting into contact with the casingand their opposite ends carrying brake-shoes adapted to be forced intoengagement with their respective rollers under the thrust of thecurtainstick spring acting to press the inner ends of said leversagainst the casing.

7 In acurtainfixture,the combination with a curtain-stick, ofspring-actuated heads mounted therein, said heads each having a rollerand anon-rotatable independent pivoted brake member adapted to be throwninto engagement with the casing and the roller through the outwardpressure of the curtainstick spring.

CHARLES L. HOPKINS.

